1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of telecommunication systems. In particular, the present invention provides an improved voice messaging system especially for use with multiple telephone company central office facilities.
2. Description of Related Art
Simplified message desk interface (SMDI) systems are well known in the art of telecommunications. Such SMDI systems provide users with a variety of services such as voice messaging, call forwarding, message notification, and the like. Such SMDI technology is available from American Telephone & Telegraph and Northern Telecom Inc. as a part of model nos. DMS100, 5ESS, and 1AESS.
Problems arise in the use of such SMDI services, especially in urban areas where there are a variety of telephone central office switching locations. In such urban areas, a user of several central offices must obtain a separate link from each central office from which information or message waiting activation is desired because SMDI capability is presently strictly intra-office by technology limitations of the central office equipment.
It has been proposed to use a Signalling System 7 to provide sophisticated voice processing services. The implementation of this intelligent network is extremely complicated and will require a huge investment. Therefore it will be many years before the intelligent network becomes commonly available in the public telephone network. Furthermore, Signalling System 7 has not incorporated many services such as interoffice stutter dial tone activation.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a method and apparatus for fully integrated calling- and called-party identification and message waiting notification services, as well as a method and apparatus for activation of message waiting and notification using available asynchronous SMDI data links in which a user need obtain only a single link to an outside provider.